Maria Clara Andrade (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Caroline Dykes set career highs in the University of South Florida volleyball team's (21-11, 13-6 American) five-set comeback thriller over the St. John's Red Storm (24-11, 13-5 Big East) to advance to the NIVC Great 8.
This is the second Great 8 appearance for South Florida. The last appearance was in 1994 when they swept Illinois State to advance to the Final Four.
The Bulls won with scores of 23-25, 21-25, 25-19, 27-25, and 16-14.
Along with Andrade's 28 kills, Buse Hazan (Istanbul, Turkey) and Marta Cvitkovic (Rijeka, Croatia) combined for 27 kills. Hazan finished with 17, while Cvitkovic followed with 10. Hazan also had 10 digs for her eighth double-double this season and four service aces to lead the match. Dykes dished out 60 assists for a new career high.
The Bulls and Red Storm opened the match trading points back and forth. St. John's 4-1 run gave them the four-point lead. The Bulls battled back to tie the set at 20. Both teams tied again at 23, but St. John's scored the last two to take a one-set lead.
St. John's jumped out to a dominant lead in the second set. South Florida battled back to come within one, but St. John's took set two.
With the end of their season in sight, the Bulls kept within reach of the Red Storm before tying the set at 18. From there, South Florida found their momentum and took the third set.
The Bulls kept their momentum in the fourth set, holding the lead for most of the set. St. John's battled back and tied the set at 22. After traded points, South Florida scored three straight points to force a fifth set.
The Bulls opened the final set with three straight points. The Red Storm answered with a 6-3 run to tie the match at six. It was a back-and-forth battle from there with both teams tying at 14. A Hazan kill and a St. John's error completed the comeback for South Florida.
South Florida will head to Statesboro, Ga. to take on Georgia Southern in the quarterfinals of the NIVC on Thursday, December 7. The match is set for 6 p.m.